GLOBAL mining giant said it had begun clearing iron ore ships from two Western Australian ports after two tropical cyclones struck and as workers repaired damaged infrastructure ashore, Reuters reported.

"Safety is our priority. As is procedure, we began sending ships from Cape Lambert Port at the weekend and Dampier Port last night, out to sea, to avoid high sea swells and wave conditions created by Tropical Cyclone Taliah and Tropical Cyclone Vince," said Rio.

Rio warned last month that its first-quarter iron ore shipments could be affected by disruptions to its rail operations following record rainfall along Western Australia's Pilbara coastline.

"Clearing the ports is compounding system challenges and high stocks, as repair works continue on the East Intercourse dumper that was impacted by flood waters in January," one miner said.

Western Australian cyclone season typically occurs between November and April.

Damage incurred from Tropical Cyclone Sean appears to have been pretty substantial if it required more than the usual one to two weeks to fix, said RBC Capital Markets analyst Kaan Peker.

"If it's something a bit more meaningful, it will probably need specialty equipment to repair," he said.

"If repairs took more than three to four weeks there is a real chance that they wouldn't be able to catch up in the second half, so we probably think there is some minor risk to Rio's guidance," he said.